Professor

Office: Room 358A, Life Science Building
Phone: (502) 852-3956
Fax: (502) 852-8904
Email: jrpani@louisville.edu

Lab location: 358 Life Sciences Building

Lab phone: 852-4340

Lab website: Visual Cognition Lab

Education

BA: University of California, Berkeley

PhD: University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign

Postdoctoral Fellowship: Harvard University

Research Interest

• My research interests center on human cognition as it relates to the use of visual information, learning, and the development of expertise in advanced disciplines.  Current work focuses on the development of systems for computer-based learning and the characterization of high-level visual skills.  Thus, we are engaged in research and development of 3D computer graphics in learning neuroanatomy, and we are characterizing visual skill in the practice of microscopy in histology (the microanatomy of biological tissues).

  Over recent years, the methods that we have used to explore cognition range from naturalistic studies of experienced practitioners (e.g., of microscopy) through tightly controlled experiments to the development of new computer graphical models and computer-based learning technologies.

  My work is interdisciplinary, and I pleased to have as collaborators Dr. Ronald Fell in the Department of Biology and Dr. Dar-Jen Chang in the Department of Computer Engineering and Computer Science.

  The major source of funding for my work is the National Library of Medicine at the National Institutes of Health. I am proud to be associated with this organization.  I am also grateful for funding from the National Science Foundation / Defense Intelligence Agency and the Office of the Vice President for Research at the University of Louisville.

Selected Publications

Pani, J. R. , Chariker, J. H., Claudio, N. M., & Fell, R. D. (2006). Visual search in microscopy implies high level cognition. In R. Sun, & Miyake (Eds.), Proceedings of the 28th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1920-1925). Vancouver, B. C. Canada: Cognitive Science Society.

Pani, J. R., Chariker, J. H., Dawson, T. E., & Johnson, N. (2005). Acquiring new spatial intuitions: Learning to reason about rotations. Cognitive Psychology, 51, 285-333.

Pani, J. R. , Chariker, J. H., & Fell, R. D. (2005). Visual cognition in microscopy. In B. G. Bara, L. Barsalou, & M. Bucciarelli (Eds.), Proceedings of the 27th Annual Conference of the Cognitive Science Society (pp. 1702-1707). Stresa, Italy: Cognitive Science Society.

Pani, J. R., & Chariker, J. H. (2004). The psychology of error in relation to medical practice. Journal of Surgical Oncology, 88, 130-142.

Courses Often Taught

Cognitive Psychology (graduate level)

Cognitive Psychology (undergraduate level)

Assorted Seminars (Modeling, Cognitive Representation, Analogy and Metaphor)